Four things the Bears should prioritize in the offseason
The Chicago Bears are about to kickoff the new league year. In years past, they haven’t made any loud splashes, but that is likely to change this year. Ryan Pace has all but said he plans to be more aggressive this year than in years prior. Here are some moves I think the Bears need to make.
Get a New Quarterback
Jay Cutler is either being released, traded or retiring. But one thing is for sure, his tenure in Chicago is over. The Bears are now making it known that, if the draft or trade falls right, they’re getting their QB. I still feel that, if Trubisky is there, they will pull the trigger. The talent he has is real and, although raw, he could be a great quarterback with good coaching.
Trading for Jimmy Garoppolo would be a good move, too. People forget that the dude threw 53 touchdowns his final year in college. Although the teams he was playing against weren’t great, the talent around him wasn’t either.
Whatever the case, Chicago needs to also look at backups, as both Barkley and Hoyer are free agents. I might stick with Hoyer for the right price, but I wouldn’t give up huge money to a backup. Josh McCown is also someone I wouldn’t mind coming to Chicago. The guy is a coach in the making, and I feel his presence behind either Trubisky or Garoppolo would be great for them to have.
AROUND COVER32
QB Rankings: Ranking all 32 NFL QB committees
Daily Dime: The NFL’s quarterback carousel
C32 Exclusive: Interview with Arizona LB Magloire Jr.
Re-sign Alshon Jeffery
If the Bears do in fact bring in a new quarterback, nothing would be worse than leaving the guy with absolutely no weapons on the receiving core. Although Cameron Meredith has made strides, he’s only a number-two receiver. After that, you literally have nothing to be excited about. Alshon Jeffery must be retained at all costs.
Extend Akiem Hicks
Nothing went very well on the defensive side of the ball if you’re just looking at the wins and losses but one thing is for sure Akiem Hicks is young athletic and a havoc in the middle. The guy is huge and is all but deserving of a contract extension. I would love for him to stick around in Chicago with Leonard Floyd and become the first step to a rebuilding defense.
Focus on Secondary
Eric Berry, Tony Jefferson, A.J Bouye, Trumaine Johnson and Stephon Gilmore all have to be on the Bears’ radar. I won’t be surprised to see them ears land two of these guys. Turnovers need to happen; the defense without turnovers isn’t very effective or fun to watch. Eric Berry may be a little out of reach due to the expensive price tag he’ll carry, but Tony Jefferson should go for around $8 million. I see Stephon Gilmore going for around $11 to 13 million.
Free agency starts on March 9th at 4:00 PM. The Bears will look entirely different by the time it ends.
The post Four things the Bears should prioritize in the offseason appeared first on Cover32.
